Childhood Memories
by Himitsu Angel
Summary: Rukia decides to take a stroll in her hometown, District 78. Renji happens to have the same thought in mind. What could possible happen? My first fanfic. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a fanfic about Rukia and Renji. I originally meant it to be short but it turned out longer then I imagined. I elaborated on the description of the five kids cos I thought I might write some adventures about them in another story. Most of Rukia's flashbacks will come from episode 32. It is my first fanfic and I hope you enjoy it. Obviously, I do not own Bleach.**

She was back, at the place where she fought to grow up. Nothing seemed to have changed; it was the same as ever. Shopkeepers yelling at kids who went to close to their stores, the upper class men riding along in shiny, new rickshaws, only the people had changed. But the memories of those days in District 78 still stayed, or rather, more accurately, haunted Rukia. The cold days, where rain fell heavily like a curtain and thunder clapped across the dark sky every few minutes, lighting up the whole of the district. Not that Rukia minded, though. She quite enjoyed staring at the fascinating storms, albeit shivering in her thin and ragged yukata, alongside the crimson-haired kid that sat at her side whenever all the others were asleep just so that she wouldn't feel lonely. And there was still the matter of the gang of older kids who had tried to take over the ruined shack where they took residence. Rukia and Renji, the unofficial leaders of the group, fought hard to defend their territory. Many had died in that battle. Rukia made graves for all of them, she had felt sad, but District 78 went by the motto of "Survival of the Fittest", the weak died, the strong survived, simple as that, she often told herself. But, cold as many had complained her of, Rukia still had to turn away to hide her tears.

Rukia strolled along District 78, ignoring the stares and whispers of the people passing by. It was a good thing, she thought, that she was not wearing her shinigami uniform. Instead, she had donned a thin, purple yukata with a silver sash tied across its middle and flowers patterned across its hem and sleeves. Rukia had gone across her wardrobe in hopes of finding a simple and plain yukata for the occasion of a stroll in District 78, her hometown, but the word "simple" did not seem to exist in the dictionary of the Kuchiki household. The simplest garment Rukia could find still held complicated patterns of gold and silver flowers. But the purple yukata was better than nothing, even though it was still considered extravagant in District 78.

Rukia saw one of the stands selling water. It was the same one as the one where she met Renji. But the old man who was in charge of the stand had passed away a few years ago. Now, his son was in charge of it, and he was just as surly and mean as his father. As she neared the stand, she saw that the old man's son had included some _onigri_ (rice balls) as part of his wares. He was yelling at a bunch of kids now, and Rukia counted five of them.

There was a pair of twins, somewhat petite and dainty in stature, identical to the point of which Rukia was unsure if they were of the same gender, or different. They had bobbed, chin-length dark blue hair and matching midnight blue eyes. The only difference between them was that one of them wore a necklace with two red beads threaded through it and the other had a bracelet on his (or her, Rukia thought in confusion) right arm with a single red bead. Otherwise, they both had identical appearances and wore the same ragged grey yukata.

There was a brown-haired boy, who, despite his rather tired and beaten-looking body (which, no doubt, originated from the harsh living conditions of District 78), had a mischievous sparkle in his black, beetle-like eyes. He wore a mustard-yellow yukata with tears all over it.

The fourth member was, surprisingly, a doll-like, shoulder-lengthed golden-haired girl with light blue eyes, and a determined expression on her face. Rukia supposed that she was stronger then she looked, pretty-faces usually did not last long in District 78, most of the time, they were abducted by adults to be sold as slaves or tools. Out of all five, her powder blue yukata was the best kept one, though it still had small cuts and gashes on it, especially on its sleeves and hem.

The last member, who was glaring at the old man's son with a cross between a thoughtful and angered expression, was the one that caught Rukia's eye. The child had dark hair tied into a long and smooth ponytail lower down his head, with his fringe covering his right eye and dark purple eyes with such intensity that it could easily be mistaken as dark blue or black (Rukia could tell for she had painted, or at least, tried to paint, a panda before, only to have used dark purple instead of black for the painting, but that was another story). He wore a neclace with a fang (Rukia decided she did not want to know how he got that) threaded though it and a torn and ragged dark green yukata. He held a striking resemblance to Renji, not by looks, definitely, but by the leader-like aura he seemed to radiate.

The old man's son, upon catching sight of Rukia, whom he recognised from her silk yukata as "Higher-class", changed his expression immediately into a toothy grin. "What wouldja like, little missy?" he asked, leering at the same group of kids from before who were standing at one corner now, having a discussion in hushed whispers. Rukia felt a wave of anger engulf her as she noted the old man's cruel leer. A sudden memory overwhelmed her as she briefly dived into her past again.

_Flashback _

_Rukia sat on the roof of the house, looking out for possible victims to be subjected to her thievery. Rukia did not like stealing, but she had to in order to survive. She always left enough for the victim, though. There was a stand selling water, in which a grumpy old man was in charge of. Rukia did not like him. In fact, little people did. He was always screaming at children or beggars who went to near his wares. He was yelling at a few kids now, and one of them yelled back before clearing off with his friends. He had crimson air tied into a ponytail and a smug, cocky look on his face. For some reason, he caught Rukia's eye, and that was not about his expression or strangely-coloured hair. _

_Another child, which Rukia assumed was the red-haired kid's friend, snuck under the table and tied the man's leg to the table's before grinning and signalling to the red-haired kid. Rukia leaned forward, her eyes alight in anticipation. As if on cue, the red-haired kid lunged forward and grabbed one of the jars on the table and one of his friends followed suit. _

"_Why you!" the old man spluttered angrily, advancing on the red-haired kid with his stick in place, oblivious to the string that was connecting him to the table, set carefully by the red-haired kid's companion. _

_The old man tripped and landed heavily on the ground, his wares spilling over the floor. The red-haired kid gave a piercing whistle and smirked, signalling to the others to grab what they could. But the old man looked tougher than he seemed. He got up; his face twisted with anger as he grabbed his stick and swung it at the gang of children, screaming insults and threatening all sorts of dire punishments he would perform when he caught them. _

"_Run!" the red-haired kid yelled, as the group took to their heels, with the old man trailing not far behind. Without thinking, Rukia followed them, padding silently on the roofs as she glanced down on the spectacle. _

"_This is bad, Renji. That old man seems serious," one of the kids whimpered to the redhead, which Rukia now confirmed was the leader of the plan. Rukia strained her ear to catch what one of the kids had called the redhead. _

"_Renji…" she repeated softly to herself, not quite understanding why her heart seemed to beat faster when she tasted the name on her tongue. _

"_It suits him."_

_The old man was closing in on the kids; Rukia knew that she had to act fast. She increased her speed and landed on one of the rooftops a small distance away. She jumped down from the rooftop swiftly and waited. As she silently counted the seconds to her departure from her hiding place, her heart started beating faster and she prayed hard that her last minute hastily-thought-out plan would work. _

"_3…2….1…. Now!" her brain screamed._

_Rukia started running, gathering enough speed to slide into a skid. The kids, upon seeing her, jumped swiftly out of the way as she knocked the old man of his feet. The old man landed face-first with a loud thud and Rukia stood on top of him, hammering his head down to the ground repeatedly with a series of kicks. _

"_This way!" she yelled, dashing towards one direction. "W….Wait!" Renji called out, evidently still stunned at the sudden appearance of the stranger. "Quick!" Rukia, repeated impatiently ,"Do you want to lose that water or not?" Renji hesitated for a fraction of a second before following Rukia, shouting at the others to do so as well.  
_

_Hearing the footsteps, Rukia smiled, a small smile, to herself. For once, she didn't feel alone.  
_

_End  
_

A sudden thought occurred her. Rukia pulled out a small but delicately-woven pouch with a few coins inside. "How much can I buy with this?" she asked the old man's son stiffly. The eyes of the old man's son bulged at the sight of the money. He eagerly reached forward to grab it, but Rukia held it out of his reach.

"How much?" she repeated. The old man's son pushed forward a few packets of _onigri_, muttering slightly as he did so. Rukia stared at the few boxes of food and raised her eyebrows at the man, she knew that the amount of money she had given could buy more than that. The old man grumpily placed two more packets on top. Rukia emptied the pouch on the table and stacked the packets of food together. There were 7 packets, each with 3 onigri inside. She walked over to the group of kids, who, almost immediately, stiffened, as if preparing themselves for battle.

"Take this" she mumbled, squatting down to place the food near them. The children's mouths fell open.

As Rukia stood up to leave, the dark-haired child spoke, so softly that Rukia could have pretended not to hear. "Why?" he questioned. Rukia could not quite understand. Normally, kids who had received this generous act would have started gorging on the food immediately, not giving the slightest thought about her generosity, yet this group of kids did not, they were, in fact, _questioning_ her about it.

"Why help us?" the boy repeated. Rukia stayed silent. "We can survive on our own, we don't need your pity," he snarled suddenly. Rukia turned around to face the boy. He looked angry. His forehead was creased with anger and his mouth was set in a determined line. Rukia knew how he felt. The stronger kids, kids who could survive, in District 78 hated having adults pity them, or anyone, actually. It was a common trait amongst them. After all, they took a lot of pride in being able to survive in that corrupted district.

"Don't be foolish," Rukia replied curtly. The boy looked slightly taken aback. "It is merely a loan. You will be able to pay me back someday," she remarked softly. The boy was silent. As Rukia started to leave, he answered. "It's a deal." Rukia heard footsteps leaving as she walked off and smiled. Now was probably the time to visit her old friends.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tch. Nasty old man's son," Renji cursed under his breath, fingering through his nearly empty pouch. He would've brought his tattered wallet which was bought from the human world with him, but he didn't think he needed that much money. That was why he brought the somewhat roughly sewn pouch that Rukia had given him. It was crimson, just like his hair, and had Zabimaru, or at least, what Renji thought was Zabimaru, (Rukia's sewing hadn't improved much, or as she liked to put- yet). Still, holding on to the six boxes of _onigri _he had bought, he headed towards the hill where his friends were buried.

Before going to the hill, Renji knew he had to visit there. The old broken down shack he had taken residence along with Rukia and his other friends during their childhood days. Even though he had hated District 78, Renji still missed those times, where when there was food and water, everything seemed perfect. His friends were there, Rukia was there, he hardly needed to worry about anything other than surviving. As Renji made his way to his old home, a memory flowed into his mind.

_Flashback_

_It was a close shave. They had escaped the old man with the help of that stranger. Panting, Renji and his friends collapsed at the front of the shack. Once they had gained back their breath, Renji and his friends entered the shack cautiously, hoping to be able to stow the water somewhere safe, with nobody seeing. They had already drank their share but they were bound to need more water sooner or later. But when he entered, his face fell. The shack was full of people. The younger kids instantly crowded around him, cheering. The water was meant for him and his friends, but the younger newcomer kids still had not grasped this fact. Still, looking at their earnest faces filled with relieve at the thought of something to drink, Renji, despite his tough exterior, could not bear to tell them that the water was not for them. His resolve crumbling, Renji placed his water on the ground, and ordered his friends to do the same. They protested weakly, but did as they were told. _

"_Only drink enough to quench your thirst!" he yelled sharply at the eager children. Yet his expression softened slightly as they sighed in relief as the cool water entered their dry mouths. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stranger look at the scene closely. The stranger was pretty. There was no doubt. She was petite, had black hair, light skin and beautiful, violet eyes. _

"_What's your name? I'm Renji Abarai." Renji introduced himself. _

"_I am Rukia. Rukia…" Rukia trailed off, looking somewhat at a loss of what to say._

"_Don't know your family name? Doesn't matter. A lot of us don't either." Renji turned away to hide a smile._

_Rukia. That was a name he would not forget._

_End_

With a start, he realized he was at the shack already. His former home had been battered by the ever-changing weather in District 78. Yet, it was still the same as ever. Renji looked at the sky. It was getting late. He would have to visit the shack another day. He turned and headed to the direction of the hill. But deep down in his heart, he knew he was lying. He did not want to enter the shack because it reminded him of everything. How Rukia had been next to him the whole time, how he had taken it for granted. How now, even after Aizen's rebellion, he still found it difficult to talk to her. He was a coward. In deep thought, Renji failed to notice the presence of five children behind him.

"Hey, who was he?" the brown haired boy asked

"I don't know. But he has the same aura as that girl earlier." The dark-haired member with dark purple eyes spoke thoughtfully. "Anyway, let's eat."

The five children returned into the shack for their meal.


End file.
